Leyla McCalla:
Vari-Colored Songs
$12.00

Leyla McCalla releases debut album!

MUSIC SET TO HUGHES' POETRY, TWO ORIGINAL SONGS, AND HAITIAN FOLK SONGS CAST "A CHARMING, RESONANT SPELL" (THE GUARDIAN)

New Orleanian, cellist, and Carolina Chocolate Drop Leyla McCalla releases her solo debut 'Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes.' Bouncing cello, pulsing tenor banjo, and Leyla's rich voice accompany the original music set to Hughes' poetry; two original songs with original lyrics; and several Haitian folk songs, reflecting both McCalla's own heritage and Hughes' travels to Haiti.

Raised in the NYC area by Haitian-born parents, McCalla was inspired to become creative by reading Langston Hughes at a young age. She was classically trained in cello at NYU before moving to the Crescent City, where she began a creative rebirth. She would play Bach's Cello Suite #1 and Bach's Sarabande from Suite #3 on the streets of the French Quarter for tips and began to learn about the cultural relationships between Haiti and New Orleans. "The more I learned about the history of Louisiana, its ties to Haiti and French speaking culture, the more sense of belonging I felt and continued to feel," she reflects.

'Vari-Colored Songs' was recorded in rural, southern Virginia with additional sessions in New Orleans, with special guests Rhiannon Giddens (also of the Carolina Chocolate Drops), Hubby Jenkins (The Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Luke Winslow-King (now signed to Bloodshot Records).